Nor do they come with the expectation of public thanks or reciprocation.

This, it seems, is just part of being a teammate of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

"Those two," says Heat backup forward James Jones, "are special."

Might be an iPod or a pair of headphones.

Might be a box of sneakers or a flashy warmup suit.

"Things that guys like us use," Jones says on the eve of the NBA Finals.

"Special gifts," says Juwan Howard, the Heat's oldest player.

It's not just Nike freebies, either.

There have been times this season when the Heat has traveled north and one of the younger players has failed to pack appropriately. Soon, a package will appear in that player's locker with a scarf and a beanie.

"Just small things that make a difference," Jones says, "just to let us know and to express their gratitude."

It has been this way all season, even as the rest of the basketball world has gotten the Heat superstars all wrong.

Self-centered and arrogant?

Egocentric and worthy of disdain?

For those inside the Heat locker room, nothing could be further from the truth.

"There is no favoritism," Howard says. "They care about each and every player. They make sure everyone is included, everyone is a part of this."

This is Howard's ninth different NBA team in a career that spans nearly two decades. He counts Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki among his most humble teammates, placing Steve Nash and Yao Ming in the same conversation.

But it might surprise you that no one in Howard's experience takes a back seat to King James and D-Wade.

Forget "The Decision" and "The Celebration."

With every public utterance, these two remind us of their uncommon humility.

They take turns deflecting credit during their shared press conferences. They maturely accepted the blame when this season veered off track for long stretches.

And most importantly, behind closed doors, they never turned on their less-gifted teammates. Never called out those flawed mortals for failures that threatened to keep this team from reaching its vast potential.

"They are humble, and that really makes our team stronger," center Joel Anthony says. "It's not where you have a couple guys at the top and they're about themselves. It's like, 'No, this is us.' And to have that at the top, it has no choice but to trickle all the way down."

The gifts are just a manifestation of that respect for others.

Now, you might say this is just multimillionaires tossing a few bucks at other millionaires, but it's more than that. As Jones points out, in their non-basketball lives, most players are "usually the ones giving gifts."

To actually be on the receiving end is rare. And, considering the source, very meaningful.

"It's not one of those things where around Christmastime they think about gifts," Jones says. "They're always in a giving mood. It's just in their nature. They're extremely thoughtful."

Starting Tuesday night, the Heat will be busy dueling the Mavericks, but that doesn't mean the gifts will stop coming. Not after all the generosity James and Wade have shown in making their teammates comfortable.

"They wouldn't be here without us," Jones says, "and we definitely wouldn't be here without them."